Firsthand Discovery

03/05/2018

We're doing some maintenance on our website and it will be down for a little while. Sorry for any inconvenience. We'll be up and running before too long.

08/06/2017

All the materials you need to grind and polish your own telescope mirror. Check out our kits on the website. We have the best prices on the web!

10/13/2015

Today we are introducing a new product to aid in your telescope mirror making projects! We are now making our own spherometers. A spherometer is a great tool used to measure your mirror's radius of curvature. Periodic testing of your mirror's surface during the grinding process will help you keep on track to end up with your target focal distance. Using a spherometer is the quickest and easiest way to do that!
http://firsthanddiscovery.com/spherometer.html

A spherometer is a tool used to measure spherical curvatures. They work great for measuring the radius of curvature (ROC) of your mirror as you progress through the grinding process, allowing you to determine if your ROC is getting longer or shorter. Y

09/26/2015

Don't forget about the lunar eclipse Sunday night! Here is a link to some info to get ready: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/get-ready-for-septembers-total-lunar-eclipse-091420155/

On the night of September 27–28, the full Moon will plunge completely through Earth's shadow for the last time until January 2018.

08/25/2015

We just got in a new observation guide series. Volume 1 covers Andromeda, Antlia, Apus, and Aquarius plus introductions to basic astronomy and astrophysics. Check it out on our website at:

http://firsthanddiscovery.com/annals-of-the-deep-sky-a-survey-of-galactic-and-extragalactic-objects-volume-1.html

Annals is by far the most up-to-date and comprehensive observing guide available today, featuring in-depth astrophysical profiles of the major stars and deep-sky objects by constellation.

08/03/2015

http://firsthanddiscovery.com/engineering-design-and-construction-of-string-telescopes.html

Portability today is important for almost every deep-sky observer. Seldom do we have a home observatory with dark skies. We must travel to view the night-sky’s splendors. Weight, ease of setup, steadiness and observer comfort become

07/28/2015

We have a few new books coming in the next few days. Take a look at the first: Optical Testing.

http://firsthanddiscovery.com/optical-testing-a-practical-introduction-for-scientists-engineers-optical-designers-students-and-optical-workshop-personnel.html

The book begins with the measurement of camera lenses using classical optical bench testing techniques: Collimators and the T-Bar Nodal Slide. Lens measurements include the determination of lens effective focal length (EFL), axial color, and F-number.

07/20/2015

We are always happy to see the product of our customers' hard work We just had to have this on our timeline. Make sure to check out a beautiful lunar picture taken through Mahendra's first hand built telescope (it is in our photos section).

My first telescope. 6 inch dobsonian

07/14/2015

A very exciting day today!

“SNEAK PEEK of gorgeous Pluto! The dwarf planet has sent a love note back to Earth via our New Horizons spacecraft, which has traveled more than 9 years…”

04/27/2015

Keep those edges beveled! We are now restocked on sharpening/combination stones and for $1.50 less than before. http://firsthanddiscovery.com/sharpening-stone.html

A sharpening stone is used to maintain a chamfer or bevel on your mirror during the rough grinding process. This reduces the risk of getting chips or cracks around the edges.

03/12/2015

We now carry an inexpensive set of bottles to use for mixing and dispensing your abrasive and polishing slurries. They come in a set of 5 which works great with our mirror kits. Once you work down to the aluminum oxide powders you will want to switch to making a slurry instead of the sprinkle and spray method.

http://firsthanddiscovery.com/slurry-bottles.html